Chef Michelle Goncalves Interview
There’s a very good chance you’ve had Chef Michelle Goncalves’ food.
Whether it’s a Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell, a Qdoba Bowl, or Loaded Fries from Luna Grill - after 30 years in the industry Chef Michelle has made her mark on both the global and American culinary scene.
With 17 years doing innovation at Taco Bell, Chef Michelle more recently pivoted from the fast food QSR (quick service restaurant) to the fast casual world at Qdoba and now as Chief Culinary Officer at Luna Grill where she can slow down (a bit) and mindfully innovate within the massive realm of Mediterranean cuisine.
We sat down with Michelle for our Periodically Inspired Q&A series that takes a deep dive into a chef’s story and inspiration to talk about her “blue sky” brainstorm and creative process, chef advice, cardamom, and her love of Spiceology Greek Freak. Read the full interview below:
Where do you find inspiration when you’re working on menu development and dish innovation?
“I lean into so many sources and I’m learning every day. I mean I literally went to the bookstore and bought every Mediterranean book I could get my hands on when I first started at Luna, so I do get a lot of inspiration from the dishes that I see and read about.
The majority of my career I spent in the Mexican cuisine space and I used to joke that I could create Mexican dishes from my couch because I'm so familiar with the flavors and I know the combinations. But coming to Mediterranean, I started by learning and discovering the spectrum of traditional Mediterranean flavors. Now that I’m more familiar with Med cuisine and where we want to take the Luna menu, I'll go to restaurants, I'll go down Google search rabbit holes, I’ll consider anything I can get my hands on and use it to spark ideas and inspiration.
When I’m in menu development mode, it really starts with the end user and what type of menu we are going after. Answering those questions helps narrow the space that I'm innovating in - because while blue sky is great, the white space can be just as big as you allow it to be.”
Where else are you getting inspired?
“Music, books, podcasts - I'm always looking for something new to do and listen to. And I find that that kind of view of the world allows me to really find new inspiration and creativity when it comes to developing new products.
My go-to music is R&B, but I also love jazz and a lot of moody music. That's where I find other inspiration - basically following the same approach of being open-minded, trying new things and see if it sparks something. Whether it's music or a podcast that somebody recommends, I’ll explore it all. It’s good to try new things in life, not just food, right?”
What are some of your earliest memories of when you were aware of your relationship with food and with cooking?
“It’s probably everybody's answer: it started with mom. I have this really vivid memory of walking into our house and smelling bread being baked; my mom was just the most amazing hostess. I mean, she was really the connector of our family and extended family and our gatherings were always centered around food. My mom took pleasure in entertaining; the tablescape, the food and everything that went with it. No matter what it was, whether it was her homemade empanadas, Thanksgiving turkey, or her potato salad for the Super Bowl, we were always hosting.
That’s why I really love being at Luna - it really felt like it fit for me because here we’re all about family. It felt like a piece of me coming home which is perfect because that’s where it all started.”
Talk to me about Spiceology’s Greek Freak.
“Luna’s Culinary Team was tasked to come up with a new flavor for our chicken. We were very specific about the fact that we wanted it to be quite different from the current chicken - and our current chicken's pretty delicious, but we wanted something that was broadly appealing and offered a distinctive flavor profile.
I'm not even kidding, we probably looked at and tasted over 20 different seasonings - then we found Spiceology.
One of our supply chain folks had gone to a supply chain event and had come back with literally just one container of Spiceology Greek Freak and was like, ‘you've got to try this.’ And it was pretty immediate. I could tell the quality because of the flavor and there was just something about it before looking at the ingredient statement - and it was the orange peel that just gave it something extra.
My team always laughs at me because I love citrus and I feel like when something's needed or missing, it's like just add a squeeze of lemon or add some citrus to it because it really helps round out the flavor. And that's what I found in Greek Freak. It was that combination of great Mediterranean seasonings and this citrus note that really helped bloom everything. And then paired with our chicken and then with our food, it was just the right fit.”
What’s your favorite dish on the Luna Grill menu right now?
“I’m actually very excited about a new menu item we’re about to unlock - the ability to build your own bowl. I love our curated bowls as they are, but this will help me personalize our bowl experience so I can order all those crazy culinary hacks that we build in the kitchen, but now at home! There’s just so many flavors and combinations that are mouthwatering!
I also happen to be on a real journey for my own health to eat less saturated fat and eat more fiber and nutrient dense foods. Again, that's what I love about Luna Grill. Whether it's the quality of the ingredients or just knowing that you're feeding your body, there are so many menu items that are so good for you.”
What are some of your favorite aspects of Mediterranean cuisine?
“What I love about Mediterranean cuisine is its freshness. The seasonality of the produce, the preparation of the proteins, grilled fresh, right when you order. That high heat, whether you're marinating it, finishing it on a grill - there's just something about the simplicity of it all that tells you that it’s high quality, better-for-you food. .
Whether it's the extra virgin olive oil, the fresh herbs, the lemon, the harissa sauce is so delicious, so spicy and warm. The zhug, which is herby and bright, cool creamy, herby tzatziki, the tahini, which is nutty. I mean there's just so much great flavor and diversity. It is not a narrow cuisine, there's so much space in Mediterranean, which enables us to keep creating, there’s room for endless ideas.”
What advice would you give to a chef just starting out?
“Stay open minded that any position where you could learn something new and that could bring depth and knowledge to you is time well spent. I've had the opportunity to not just work in product development in every aspect of whether it was starting as that food technologist all the way up to where I am today, but it was being open-minded along the way. I did five years in operations. I went to pastry school, so really look at every opportunity to broaden your knowledge of the industry and always stay open-minded to learning.
On the creative front, when you’re working at a larger corporate company there might be people who immediately poo-poo an idea or assume an idea can’t be executed. Granted, ideas are only good if you can execute them. Trust me, you will be tasked to figure it out and how to execute that idea, but I always tell my team no idea is a bad idea.”
What is a spice you consider to be undervalued?
“Cardamom. Maybe I’m late to the party, but I have recently fallen in love with it. Cardamom is so warm and can be kind of earthy and smoky, but at the same time it could also deliver this unexpected pop.
Whether it’s in Turkish coffee or a baked good, that right hint of cardamom has this ability to be subtle and yet interesting and unexpected. We use cardamom here at Luna Grill in one of our herby sauces and again it's that unassuming and unexpected note.”
What flavor trends are you seeing and exploring right now?
“Right now we’re exploring how to introduce new flavors to our guests. We have a lot of great flavors, a lot of great sauces that we make from scratch, but now we hope to expand that core of flavor and really flesh out a full spectrum of craveable options.
We’re looking for flavors and dishes that are familiar - yet are a little different - that are in stride with Mediterranean. A few years ago we did a harissa chicken where we took our delicious harissa and finished our grilled chicken with just a brush of the harissa sauce. Delicious. Taking that delicious harissa sauce and seeing what else we could do with it to make it a little more familiar, a little more craveable, worked wonders for us. We are always looking at new ways to drive that craveability of our food.”
What do you see a chef’s role to be within the community?
“It goes back to how I was raised - it’s about bringing people around the table and connectivity. Where I'm at in my career, in my life, it's also about delivering something that I feel proud of, whether it's the quality, the nutrition, or the flavor and how it's being served.
At Luna Grill, I am very proud of the way we present our food - the way you see it on the menu is actually the way it's delivered to you. It's just so mindful. As a chef you should be proud of what you're providing others because a big piece of what goes into how we create is this combination of flavors, textures, the aromas, the appearance.
I also think our role is showing individuals that you can eat healthy and nutrient dense foods - and it could still be all the things you want it to be: craveable, fresh, and better for you.”